New Cobra Strike commander wants to take 'winning team' to next level

The new commander of a Patriot battalion at Fort Bliss compares his new assignment to "joining a winning team," and he wants to take that team to the next level.

Lt. Col. Glenn Henke, a 39-year-old native of Boise, Idaho, took over as commander of the 1st Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade on June 10.

"The battalion had great success in its last deployment" to the Middle East under previous commander Lt. Col. David Shank, Henke said. "It has a great history of achievement, and the brigade itself, it is the premier air-defense brigade in the Army. It is definitely a winning organization."

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David Burge

Henke most recently served as the Army air and missile defense integration lead supporting U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

His top goal is to make sure that the Cobra Strike Battalion is ready to deploy when called upon next, Henke said.

While many other units in the Army are seeing their operational tempo slow down as the war in Afghanistan draws down, it is just the opposite for air-defense units, which remain in high demand, Henke said.

Henke also wants to build on the battalion's past success.

"It's in the Army institutionally," he said. "Every day, we say to ourselves, 'How can we get better as an organization?'"

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At the Pre-Command Course at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., a senior Army leader told students that they should take pride in being selected as a battalion commander and they could "view it as a victory lap," Henke said.

"You can count yourself to be blessed to be one of those selected," Henke said. "It's a privilege and honor to be selected."

Battalion Command Sgt. Maj. John Young said Henke brings a "diverse background" to the battalion and will help to make it a better fighting force. "Change is good," Young said.

Henke has spent most of his career with short-range air-defense systems, primarily based around the Stinger weapon system. Unlike many air-defense officers, he has only been stationed at Fort Bliss once before — when he took the six-month Officer Basic Course here in 1997-98.

He and his wife, Katherine, are treating being here at Fort Bliss and El Paso as if it was their first time here. "It was such a long time ago, and [the Base Realignment and Closure precess] transformed the post," Henke said. "Plus, there are all sorts of exciting things going on in the city of El Paso."

Lt. Col. Henke

Education: Bachelor's degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics from Seattle University; master's in security studies from Kansas State University; and a master's in military art and science from the Command and General Staff College.